Soyabean Casein Digest Agar w/ LTHTh, Modified

Intended Use

Recommended for determining efficiency of sanitization of containers, equipment surfaces, water miscible cosmetics, etc. It can also enumerate the organisms from water insoluble products and fatty products containing preservatives or antimicrobials.

Composition**

Final pH ( at 25°C) 7.3±0.2

**Formula adjusted, standardized to suit performance parameters

Directions

Suspend 82.0 grams in 1000 ml purified / distilled water. Heat to boiling to dissolve the medium completely. Sterilize by autoclaving at 15 lbs pressure (121°C) for 15 minutes.Cool to 45-50°C. Mix well and pour into sterile Petri plates.

Principle And Interpretation

Soyabean Casein Digest Agar w/ LTHTh is used for the detection and enumeration of microorganisms for products of sanitary importance, water miscible cosmetics, Products containing antimicrobials or preservatives (1)

Tryptone and soya peptone provide nitrogenous compounds and other nutrients essential for microbial replication. Lecithin, polysorbate 80 (Tween 80) and thiosulphate act as neutralizing agents reported to neutralize the activity of antimicrobial agents. Lecithin and polysorbate 80 neutralizes quaternary ammonium compounds and parahydroxy benzoates. Sodium thiosulphate neutralizes mercurial, halogens, aldehydes etc. Histidine acts as a reducing agent.

Collection of samples from areas before and after the treatment with disinfectant evaluates cleaning procedures in environmental sanitation. The presence and number of microorganisms is determined by the appearance of colonies on the agar surface (4).

Type of specimen

Swabs of containers, Equipment surfaces, Water miscible cosmetics etc.

Specimen Collection and Handling

For swabs of containers, equipment surfaces, water miscible cosmetics samples follow appropriate techniques for handling specimens as per established guidelines (1).

After use, contaminated materials must be sterilized by autoclaving before discarding.

Warning and Precautions

Read the label before opening the container. Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/ face protection. Follow good microbiological lab practices while handling specimens and culture. Standard precautions as per established guidelines should be followed while handling specimens. Safety guidelines may be referred in individual safety data sheets.

Limitations

1. This medium is general purpose medium and may not support the growth of fastidious organisms.
2. Further biochemical and serological test must be carried out for complete identification.

Performance and Evaluation

Performance of the medium is expected when used as per the direction on the label within the expiry period when stored at recommended temperature.

Quality Control

Appearance Cream to yellow homogeneous free flowing powder

Gelling Firm, comparable with 1.8% Agar gel

Colour and Clarity of prepared medium Light to medium amber coloured, clear to slightly opalescent gel forms in Petri plates

Reaction Reaction of 8.20% w/v aqueous solution at 25°C. pH : 7.3±0.2

pH 7.10-7.50

Cultural Response Cultural characteristics observed after an incubation at 35-37°C for 18-24 hours.

Key : (*) Corresponding WDCM numbers.

Storage and Shelf Life

Store between 10-30°C in a tightly closed container and the prepared medium at 20-30°C. Use before expiry date on the label. On opening, product should be properly stored dry, after tightly capping the bottle in order to prevent lump formation due to the hygroscopic nature of the product. Improper storage of the product may lead to lump formation. Store in dry ventilated area protected from extremes of temperature and sources of ignition. Seal the container tightly after use. Product performance is best if used within stated expiry period.

Disposal

User must ensure safe disposal by autoclaving and/or incineration of used or unusable preparations of this product. Follow established laboratory procedures in disposing of infectious materials and material that comes into contact with clinical sample must be decontaminated and disposed of in accordance with current laboratory techniques (2,3).

Reference

1. Hall and Hartnett, 1964, Public Hlth. Rep., 79:1021.
2. Isenberg, H.D. Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook. 2nd Edition.
3. Jorgensen, J.H., Pfaller, M.A., Carroll, K.C., Funke, G., Landry, M.L., Richter, S.S and Warnock., D.W. (2015) Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 11th Edition. Vol. 1.
4. Murray PR, Baron, Pfaller, and Yolken (Eds.), 2003, In Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 8th ed., ASM, Washington, D.C.